Theatre Arts Education (B.A.)

This is a fundamental course in the systematic analysis of dramatic texts.  It is designed to equip theatre arts majors and minors with the textual expertise and vocabulary needed for academic discussion and artistic collaboration. Students will read and research a series of scripts in order to investigate the process in which a play develops from page to performance. Emphasis will also be given to how directors, designers, performers, and spectators individually and collaboratively engage with and utilize a dramatic text during each phase of the pre-rehearsal, rehearsal, and performance process. The content and meeting times of THTRE-1020FYW and THTRE 1030 are the same and students may not receive credit for both courses.
(Normally offered each fall semester.)

This is a fundamental course in the systematic analysis of dramatic texts. It is designed to equip theatre arts majors and minors with the textual expertise and vocabulary needed for academic discussion and artistic collaboration. Students will read and research a series of scripts in order to investigate the process in which a play develops from page to performance. Emphasis will also be given to how directors, designers, performers, and spectators individually and collaboratively engage with and utilize a dramatic text during each phase of the pre-rehearsal, rehearsal, and performance process. The content and meeting times of THTRE 1020FYW and THTRE-1030 are the same and students may not receive credit for both courses.
(Normally offered each fall semester.)

This introductory acting course focuses on building physical, vocal, intellectual, and intuitive foundations for actors. Through discovery exercises, students increase their awareness of the fundamentals of contemporary acting and apply these concepts to monologue and scene work.
(Normally offered each fall semester.)

This intermediate acting course reinforces the fundamental skills acquired in Script Analysis and Acting I, and builds upon them in order to emphasize technique and truth in acting. Using elements from contemporary acting theorists (Meisner, LeCoq, Alder, etc.) students investigate contemporary dramatic texts. The process focuses on freeing the performer's instrument while concentrating on the actor's intent.
Prerequisite(s): THTRE-1020 and THTRE 1300 Acting I or instructor permission.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)

A course introducing students to all technical aspects of theatre production including scenery, properties, lighting, sound, makeup, and costuming. Particular emphasis is placed on practical knowledge of scenery, property construction techniques, and the materials used. Students must participate in a laboratory theatre experience.
(Normally offered each fall and spring semester.)

The introductory course in costuming for the theatre. It presents the uses of fabrics, textures, colors, plastics, and other materials as well as developing the sewing techniques needed for the theatre.
(Normally offered each fall and spring semester.)

A study of the theory and practice of stage makeup. The final project is the supervised design and execution of makeup for a major production or lab theatre production.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)

Playwriting 1 is a course introducing students to the principles of dramatic construction and formal devices of playwriting. Students will write individually and collaboratively in large groups, small groups, and pairs. Emphasis is given to creative writing exercises exploring monologue, dialogue, character in text, language as action, scene structure, exposition, and conflict. Students will have the opportunity to share writing in class and receive feedback in a supportive workshop environment. Students will critically reflect on what they've written and assemble a portfolio of their writing.
Students may not receive credit for both THTRE 1810FYW Playwriting I and THTRE 2810 Playwriting I.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)

Playwriting 1 is a course introducing students to the principles of dramatic construction and formal devices of playwriting. Students will write individually and collaboratively in large groups, small groups, and pairs. Emphasis is given to creative writing exercises exploring monologue, dialogue, character in text, language as action, scene structure, exposition, and conflict. Students will have the opportunity to share writing in class and receive feedback in a supportive workshop environment. Students will critically reflect on what they've written and assemble a portfolio of their writing.
Students may not receive credit for both THTRE 1810FYW Playwriting I and THTRE 2810 Playwriting I.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)

A course designed to assist the student in improving control and use of the voice for speaking. Students participate in individualized and group exercises. The course also serves as an introduction to the variations in speech sounds, rhythms, and intonational patterns that characterize selected dialects of spoken English. Students utilize the International Phonetic Alphabet to transcribe cuttings from selected plays into the sounds of appropriate dialects and then reproduce the sounds vocally. Recordings of dialects are utilized for ear training.

A study of the theories and techniques of directing. Students will direct several short scenes.
Prerequisite(s): THTRE 1020FYW Script Analysis or THTRE 1030 Script Analysis.
(Normally offered each fall and spring semester.)

This is an introductory course in the theory and practice of scenography for the theatre. The primary goal of this class is to provide access to terms, concepts, and design principle applications for theatrical scenery, costume, and lighting design.
(Normally offered each fall semester.)

Students will direct under supervision a one-act play or (with instructor's permission) a full-length play. This course may be repeated.
Prerequisite(s): THTRE 2500 Directing I.
(Normally offered each fall and spring semester.)

An integral factor in the study of the history of theatre is the impact that governments, democratic or otherwise, have on the development and sustenance of the arts. World Theatre History I is a Writing-Instructive course that covers early theatre through the Renaissance, so will investigate principles and ideals of Athenian democracy associated with Classical Greece, republican Rome, and the Italian republics of the early Renaissance, as well as more authoritarian forms of rule in early civilizations in India, China, Japan, and Meso-America.  Key questions will include: In what ways are artistic freedoms and practices linked to structures of governance?  How has theatre over time been a force for political change? Why does theatre flourish in some democracies (and in some authoritarian governments) and not in others? 
Prerequisite(s): POLSC 1010 United States Government and Politics/POLSC 1010FYW United States Government and Politics or HIST 1020 United States Society and Culture Since 1877 or  PHIL 2400 Social-Political Philosophy or THTRE 1010 Theatre Appreciation or THTRE 1020FYW Script Analysis or THTRE 1030 Script Analysis.
(Normally offered on even fall semesters.)

An integral factor in the study of the history of theatre is the impact that governments, democratic or otherwise, have on the development and sustenance of the arts. World Theatre History II is a Writing-Instructive and Diversity-Global Instructive course that covers the span from late 17th C through present day, so will investigate the Age of Reason and the movement toward representative democracy as well as contemporary developments. One focus will be on the theatre histories of selected Latin American and African countries. Key questions will include: In what ways are artistic freedoms and practices linked to structures of governance?  How has theatre over time been a force for political change? Why does theatre flourish in some democracies (and in some authoritarian governments) and not in others? How are principles/ideals of democracy represented in dramatic literatures and theatrical endeavors at specific historical moments?
Prerequisite(s): POLSC 1010 United States Government and Politics/POLSC 1010FYW United States Government and Politics or HIST 1020 United States Society and Culture Since 1877 or  PHIL 2400 Social-Political Philosophy or THTRE 1010 Theatre Appreciation or THTRE 1020FYW Script Analysis or THTRE 1030 Script Analysis.
(Normally offered on odd fall semesters.)

The Pulitzer Prizes are regarded as one of the most prestigious awards that a writer or composer can win. The Pulitzer Prize in Drama is awarded "for a distinguished play by an American author, preferably original in its source, and dealing with American life". Given the emphases on American authorship and American life, this speaking-instructive dramatic literature course examines Pulitzer Prize winning plays such as Angels in America, The Kentucky Cycle, Topdog/Underdog, Disgraced and others to investigate questions about the features of a democracy and what it means to be a citizen of a democracy. The plays also serve as the basis for a series of oral presentations. The course also asks: To what extent is the representation of democratic principles and ideas a contributing factor in what plays win the Pulitzer Prize in Drama.

Dating from 1947, the American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards have been presented annually to honor excellence in commercial theatre on Broadway. It is a high honor for a writer or composer to win the award for Best Play or Best Musical, and usually results in financial and career gains. This speaking instructive dramatic literature course examines this U.S. awards tradition, considering how the procedural structures incorporate elements of democratic ideals and principles. Students will read examples of Tony Award winning plays and musicals in order to consider how democratic ideals are represented in those plays and will consider whether such representation is contributing factor in what works with the awards. The plays also serve as the basis for a series of oral presentations.

Is nurturing the subversive comic impulse in expression vital to a democracy? This speaking-instructive dramatic literature course examines the comic tradition in U.S. dramatic writing, focusing primarily on how democratic principles and ideals have been represented. One primary topic to be considered involves the ways that comic plays, whether overtly or subversively, can serve as a contributing factor to stimulate political change in a democracy. A range of plays from early national to contemporary will be read and discussed to draw conclusions about features of a democracy and what it means to be a citizen of a democracy. The plays will also serve as the basis for oral presentations.

This speaking-instructive dramatic literature course examines how definitions and concepts of family have been represented in dramatic literary works. By reading, discussing, reflecting in writing and making oral presentations about a variety of dramatic works drawn from diverse perspectives students will consider how changes in cultural and institutional environments impact definitions of family and how concepts of family are interconnected with other with other social institutions.

This speaking-instructive dramatic literature class examines how varieties of feminisms and cultural diversity have been represented in dramatic literary works. By reading, discussion, reflecting in writing and making oral presentations about a variety of dramatic works drawn from diverse perspectives students will utilize recent scholarship in gender and sexuality studies to analyze how assumptions about gender and/or sexualities have contributed to inequalities, choices, biases, oppression and/or empowerment in the culture and time periods in which the plays were written and produced.
Cross listed with GEND 2050.

Why does censorship occur in democracies that champion freedom of expression as an ideal? What are the tipping points that trigger the impulse to ban and/or censor? Does censorship or the threat of censorship present an obstacle to full participation of writers and readers in a democracy? Students seek the answers to these and other questions in this speaking-instructive dramatic literature course by looking at example of dramatic works that have been banned or censored in democratic nations. The selected texts will also serve as the basis for a series of oral presentations and will be utilized to discuss how the defining features of a democracy and the meaning of what it means to be a citizen in a democracy are represented in dramatic texts, as well as the broader question of how the arts shape how a nation defines itself as a democracy.

This speaking-instructive dramatic literature class examines how literary innovation and stylistic change have accompanied manifestoes for artistic and cultural change as represented in avant-garde dramatic literary works. By reading, discussion, reflecting in writing and making oral presentations about a variety of avant-garde dramatic works drawn from diverse historical, cultural, scientific, creative, and socioeconomic contexts students will analyze questions such as: What stimulates innovation? How is innovation sustained? What counts as innovation and what doesn’t? What are the distinguishing hallmarks of innovation? What are the limits of innovation?

This discourse-instructive course will study the diverse and varying collection of the musicals that encompass the Broadway stage. Musicals to be studied will vary each semester and students will engage in multiple discussions on topics such as performance transitions, styles, time periods, subject matter, historical contribution, composers, and even audience appeal. Students will experience such musical either visually or aurally and complete a variety of assignments to identify the unique characteristics and contributions of each.

A systematic study of the outstanding literary artist of the English language: comedies, tragedies, and historical plays.

Prerequisite(s): First Year Writing, ENG 2000 Introduction to Textual Studies or THTRE-1020 and Junior standing.
(Normally offered spring of odd-numbered years.)

See ENG 3260 Greek Drama.

In this course, students will read a selection of plays by ancient Greek playwrights: the comedies of Aristophanes and the tragedies of Aeschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles. For a semester project, students will work as a collaborative team to write and perform a dramatic work (along with related documents) to demonstrate their understanding of the genre, period, and culture.
Cross listed with THTRE 3260.
Prerequisite(s): First Year Writing and Junior Standing.
(Normally offered alternate spring semesters.)

U.S. Theatre and Cultural Pluralism is a Discourse-Instructive and Diversity-U.S.-Instructive course that considers drama and theatre by ethnic and racial minority writers, gender and sexual minority writers, and writers with disabilities, within the context of historical and contemporary cultural circumstances including economic class. The primary focus of this class is the examination of cultural pluralism as one of the ideals/principles of a democracy as embodied in dramatic works and theatre production practices. It seeks to investigate how theatre in the U.S. has served as a venue for voices that have been historically silenced and/or marginalized, while acknowledging that theatre has sometimes been used as an instrument of oppression. The dramatic works read will allow discussion of topics including: features of a democracy, structures of power, principles of cultural pluralism, what it means to be a citizen in a democracy, and obstacles to full participation in a democracy.
Prerequisite(s): POLSC 1010 United States Government and Politics/POLSC 1010FYW United States Government and Politics or HIST 1020 United States Society and Culture Since 1877 or  PHIL 2400 Social-Political Philosophy or THTRE 1020FYW Script Analysis or THTRE 1030 Script Analysis or instructor permission.

See HIST 4220 The Ancient World.

A course providing a broad, general survey of education in the United States, designed to help students decide whether to continue coursework in professional education. This course is a prerequisite to further work in the department.
(Normally offered each semester.)

A course designed to allow students an opportunity to determine if they have a talent for teaching. Students will be assigned to assist an elementary, or secondary school teacher for a designated period of time each week. May be repeated a maximum of three times.
Pass/Fail only.
Pre or corequisite(s): EDUC 1010 Introduction to Education in the United States.
(Normally offered each semester.)

A course designed to acquaint students with the basic principles of growth and all phases of human development. Students will be required to assist an elementary or secondary teacher for a 50-minute period twice a week.
Pre or corequisite(s): EDUC 1010 Introduction to Education in the United States or permission of the department chair or instructor.
(Normally offered each semester.)

Students observe/assist in educational settings associated with our P-12 school system. P/F Only.
Corequisite(s): EDUC 2050 Human Development and Learning I.
(Normally offered each semester.)

A continuation of EDUC 2050 with emphasis on the principles of learning and their application in the field of education. Secondary students will be required to assist a school teacher for a 50-minute period twice a week.
Pre or corequisite(s): EDUC 1010 Introduction to Education in the United States and EDUC 2050 Human Development and Learning I, or permission of the department chair or instructor.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)

This course helps future teachers and coaches recognize and understand biases experienced by groups and individuals due to race, ethnicity, gender, social class, religion, exceptionality, sexual orientation, and language background to help them work effectively with a diverse student or student-athlete population. This course meets the Nebraska Human Relations Training requirement for teacher certification and for the NSAA coaching certification
Pre or Corequisite(s): EDUC 1010 Introduction to Education in the United States or declared Coaching minor, or permission of instructor.
(Normally offered each semester.)

See SPED 2870 Instructional and Adaptive Technology.

A study of teacher-made, informal tests as well as formal, standardized tests. Students learn to devise assessment instruments for evaluation purposes. They also learn to administer, score, and interpret the results of standardized tests.
Prerequisite(s): Acceptance in the Teacher Education Program or permission of the department chair.
(Normally offered each fall semester.)

A critical and functional study of effective methods of instruction with emphasis on the planning/teaching/assessment processes applicable for junior high and high schools. Students design and teach an interdisciplinary unit plan in EDUC 3360 General Secondary Methods Lab that incorporates specific forms of instructional technology.
Prerequisite(s): Acceptance into the Teacher Education Program or permission of the department chair.
Corequisite(s): EDUC 3360 General Secondary Methods Lab.
(Normally offered each semester.)

Students plan and teach a variety of lessons within a unit plan that incorporates specific teaching and assessment strategies. Second, students will apply various classroom management approaches.
Prerequisite(s): Acceptance into the Teacher Education Program or permission of the department chair.
Corequisite(s): EDUC 3350 General Secondary Methods.
(Normally offered each semester.)

A course designed to acquaint secondary education students with appropriate teaching strategies and methodologies for the regular classroom when teaching students who are gifted or have mild/moderate disabilities. Legal responsibilities and obligations concerning both populations are also discussed. A field experience is included as part of this course.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)

See EDUC 3240 Methods for Teaching Communication and Theatre Arts in 7-12.

A survey of the methods for teaching communication in the classroom and of directing extracurricular activities. Cross listed with THTRE 3240.
Prerequisite(s): Acceptance into the Teacher Education Program or permission of the department chair.

Students work with one or more regular teachers in a secondary school. They attend the student teaching seminar and conference with their college supervisor as directed.
Prerequisite(s): Completion of preliminary student teaching requirements or approval of the department chair.